Passion In Frankenstein

While society encourages the search for a passion in one’s life, there is a fine line that separates a passion from an obsession. Passion is defined as an extravagant desire for something; an obsession is defined as the domination of one’s thought and feelings by a persistent desire. Evidently, a passionate mindset can easily become obsessive when the desire grows into a powerful necessity. An obsession, with anything, is unhealthy and sometimes even dangerous; it results in one becoming so immensely focused on a single idea that their perception of morality is blinded. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein spends his childhood happily surrounded by a loving family, and his two best friends; Elizabeth Lavenza and Henry Clerval.

After receiving a letter from his father telling him of the death of his younger brother William, Victor departs immediately back to Geneva to mourn alongside his family. Upon arriving, Victor discovers that his creation is likely responsible for the death of his brother, and that Justine Moritz, a girl that once lived with the Frankenstein family, is on trial for the murder. Although much of the evidence points towards Justine as the perpetrator, Victor is certain that his monster is the true murderer, yet he refuses to explain this, fearing that his family will think he is insane. Justine eventually pleads guilty, to the dismay of Victor, and is later executed for murder. Victor becomes consumed with guilt, realizing that the monster he created and his secrecy of it is now the cause of two deaths in his family. Sensing the malevolence within Victor, Elizabeth pleads, “Dear Victor, banish these dark passions. Remember the friends around you, who centre all their hopes in you. Have we lost the power of rendering you happy?” (80). Elizabeth’s question gives both Victor and the readers a sense of how isolated he has become due to his pursuit for knowledge and obsession in the

After his creator abandons him, the monster embarks on a tumultuous journey full of rejection from human kind. Although the monster experiences disapproval from his own creator and an angry mob of villagers, he was essentially the equivalent of a child at this point so he did not understand the magnitude of what had transpired. The first true rejection that the monster suffers through is at the hands of a family he discovers on the outskirts of Ingolstadt. The family of three consists of the father De Lacey, and his two children; Felix and Agatha. The monster examines the family for months, learning their ways of living and developing basic communication skills based on his observations. As he spends more time with the family, his tainted perception of humanity begins to alter, making him believe in the possibility of his acceptance among mankind; however, after finally building up enough courage to reveal himself to the De Lacey family, everything goes downhill. The family is horrified by the monster’s appearance and promptly run him out of their home. After this encounter, the monster’s positive view of humanity shatters, forcing him to question his very own existence. The monster cries, “Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in